January has brought us extremely cold weather, as it has for much of the country. So it was a good time to stay inside and read and quilt. Of course I spend most of my days inside anyways. When you suffer from a zillion forms of chronic pain, no kind of weather is good for being out and about.
Below is a list of books that I mostly enjoyed during the first month of 2025.
November Road by Lou Berney
Frank Guidry, a loyal street lieutenant to New Orleans’s mob boss Carlos Marcello, has learned that everybody is expendable. But now it’s his turn—he knows too much about the crime of the century: the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Within hours of JFK’s murder, everyone with ties to Marcello is turning up dead, and Guidry suspects he’s next: he was in Dallas on an errand for the boss less than two weeks before the president was shot. With few good options, Guidry hits the road to Las Vegas, to see an old associate—a dangerous man who hates Marcello enough to help Guidry vanish. But when he sees a beautiful housewife on the side of the road with a broken-down car, two little daughters, and a dog in the back seat, he sees the perfect disguise to cover his tracks. I really enjoyed this book.
The Killing Plains by Sherry Rankin
Crescent Bluff, West Texas:When a boy is found dead, everyone knows who killed him—Willis Newland, just released from prison after serving twenty years for an identical murder. But what if everyone’s wrong? Detective Colly Newland reluctantly agrees to investigate a case that seems to involve the whole town, including her dead husband’s extended family. But the deeper she digs, the more secrets she unearths. And as threats against her escalate, Colly realizes someone is willing to kill to keep theirs. Pretty good book.
Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller
Sarah Anderson has it all: a thriving career, a nice home in Ottawa, two young kids…and a marriage coming apart at the seams.Then her husband, Matthew, vanishes without a trace during a family vacation up north. Sarah and her children are left alone among the slumbering lakes, treacherous cliffs, and brooding forests of the Canadian Shield. A glacier-scraped realm of ancient beauty and terror, it’s a world away from the safety of the suburbs. And a big storm is brewing. Pretty good. I'd give it three stars if I was still giving stars.
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci Jack Lee, a white lawyer from Virginia, and Desiree DuBose, a black lawyer from Chicago team up to defend a black man who has been accused of murdering a white couple. DuBose has spent her career working for civil rights, while Lee has never paid much attention to race or civil rights. But he comes to believe in his client's innocence, but finds the odds are against him as are many of his county's citizens, putting his and his family's lives and safety in danger. A great read by a talented author. Really good mystery.
The Possession of Mr. Cave by Matt Haig
Terence Cave has already experienced the dual tragedies of his mother's suicide and his wife's murder when his teenage son, Reuben, is killed in a grotesque accident. His remaining child, Bryony, has always been the family's golden girl and Terence comes to realize that his one duty in life is to "protect" her from the world's dark forces. But as he starts to follow his grieving daughter's movements and enforce a draconian set of rules, his love for Bryony becomes a possessive force that leads to destruction. A captivating, tautly paced story that tells of Cave's descent into madness. Loved it, and everything else by this author.
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
Fifteen-year-old Fern arrives at Wellwood House, a home for unwed pregnant teens, during the sweltering summer of 1970.There she meets Rose, Zinnia, and Holly. They find their lives totally controlled at the Home: what they eat, what they read, when they go outside, even their names and what they're allowed to talk about. Then they meet a librarian who lends them a book that gives them the ability to take back their power. But they soon learn that this power is not without heavy cost. I have read every book that Grady Hendrix has written, and this is my favorite.
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On 02/02/2025, Elaine said ...
Thank you for all your great reads. We seem to have the same reading interests. I have followed your blog for a long time and love and admire your quilting talent. I love to sew but have little quilting experience. Hope weather warms up all over for us all. Stay well.
On 02/03/2025, Barbara Anne said ...
Interesting books and I thank your for your 2 cents on each one!
Hope you feel better soon. Have you tried legal THC gummies that include no "trip"?
It has been cold here, too, and yesterday the high was 41*F with the low 29*F. The high today: 65*F and glory hallelujah!
Hugs!
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Cait and Kathryn were here last weekend. Kathryn snapped this shot of Taco. I think it's the best photo that's ever been taken of the big old boy.
Can you hear the music?